The drive to bridge the electricity access gap in rural Awendo gathered fresh momentum this week after residents of Marongo Village welcomed the official handover of the latest Last Mile Connectivity project, a key milestone in the constituency’s broader rural electrification agenda spearheaded by Awendo MP Walter Owino.
The site handover and public sensitisation exercise, held at Marongo SDA Church, brought together officials implementing the programme, local leaders and residents, who were taken through the scope of works ahead of the commencement of household electricity connections.
The project targets homes that have remained unconnected despite electricity infrastructure passing near their villages, a longstanding challenge that the national government’s Last Mile Connectivity Programme seeks to address.
According to Owino, extending electricity to every corner of the constituency remains central to his development agenda, noting that access to reliable power is no longer a luxury but a fundamental requirement for economic transformation.
“Today marks another important step in ensuring that no household is left behind. Electricity opens doors to education, business, healthcare and countless economic opportunities. Our goal is to make sure every deserving family in Awendo benefits from this programme,” said the legislator.
The Marongo project forms part of a wider electrification rollout that has seen several villages across Awendo earmarked for new household connections under the national rural electrification programme. The initiative seeks to connect homes located within close proximity to existing transformers by lowering the cost barriers that have historically prevented many rural families from accessing electricity.
Residents who attended the sensitisation meeting welcomed the development, expressing optimism that the connections would significantly improve livelihoods. Many noted that access to electricity would reduce dependence on kerosene lamps and other expensive alternative sources of lighting while enabling children to study for longer hours after sunset.
Small-scale traders are also expected to benefit through improved business hours, refrigeration services and the establishment of new enterprises such as barber shops, salons, welding workshops and agro-processing ventures that rely on stable electricity supply.
The project is equally expected to enhance security within the village through improved lighting while enabling institutions such as schools, churches and health facilities to offer better services to the community.
In another significant milestone, metering works under the Kwar Primary School electricity scheme are already underway, signalling steady progress towards connecting more households under the same programme.
The ongoing metering exercise represents the final technical stage before consumers begin receiving electricity in their homes, bringing relief to families that have waited years to join the national power grid.
The Last Mile Connectivity Programme has become one of the government’s flagship rural development initiatives aimed at increasing electricity access across Kenya by connecting households located near existing distribution transformers. The programme has played a critical role in narrowing the rural-urban electricity access gap while stimulating local economic growth.
For Awendo Constituency, the programme complements a series of infrastructure investments championed by Walter Owino, including road construction, expansion of educational facilities, affordable housing projects and improvements in health infrastructure. Together, these investments are intended to accelerate rural development by ensuring communities have access to the essential services needed to drive sustainable economic growth.
As implementation progresses in Marongo and Kwar, residents are optimistic that the expanding electricity network will unlock new opportunities for employment, education and entrepreneurship, reinforcing the constituency’s gradual transformation through strategic public investment.
With every new household connected, the vision of universal electricity access in Awendo moves closer to reality, illuminating homes while powering the constituency’s broader socio-economic development agenda.
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